The forbidden mark of rebellion

Steig Larsson's Millenium trilogy had done something to me. It was disturbing enough to read about how a girl is abused by the system and the society; but all through the 3 books, what caught my attention was the description of her tattoos. She gets a tattoo every time she undergoes unspeakable torture or crime. She keeps it as a memento.. a memento to painful memories. It was intrigued me as to why would someone do that.Why would anyone want to have a visible mark on their bodies to remind them of the pain they had been through. May be a tattoo is a symbol of survival.. surviving pain and trauma and yet making it in life. Lisabeth Salander did make me wanna get a tattoo, but my reasons were just different.

I was having a chat with my dearest friend when the topic about tattoos came up. She said she wanted to get one but somehow people think people with tattoos are rebels or unprofessional. I joked about my granny having one, and the only rebellion she ever led was with her 5 children who got on her nerves. 

But on a serious note, tattoos are considered as a mark of rebellion these days. Youngsters might consider it hip and cool but elders and the society look down on it, especially a large one with an intricate design on the visible part of the body. Youngsters who need to feel one among the "cool crowd" think tattoos are unavoidable.It is indeed a rage among youngsters. The Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was all over the media for tattooing his girl friend Kareena Kapoor's name on his hand. I wonder if the Tollywood actress Nayanthara regret going in a for a permanent tattoo of her then boyfriend/husband and currently her ex, Prabhu Deva's name on her hand.

The word tattoo is said to has two major derivations- from the polynesian word ‘ta’ which means striking something and the tahitian word ‘tatau’ which means ‘to mark something’. The history of tattoo began over 5000 years ago and is as diverse as the people who wear them. for a long time, tattooing was the preserve of sailors and criminals! Sailors used their body as a journal, to remember where the have been in their lifetime. Each mark or tattoo had a memory behind it. In prison, the tattoo - professionally done and homemade- indelibly imprint on their bodies what these men desire in their souls: autonomy and identity. The ultimate symbol for gang members are their gang tattoos, getting a permanent mark is a sign of showing total commitment to the gang. These tattoos can reveal lots of things, like, who you are/what gang you're in/ what your beliefs are, what you have done, where you have been, how many years you have been in jail (also referred to as ‘dead time’) and even things like how many you have killed. Known symbols include teardrops under the eye as well as spider webs on the elbows to symbolize people killed. I believe in the west, tattoos were used as a sign of affiliation among street gangs and as a badge of honour among ex-convicts. The more popular media like movies show bikers as badass guys having tattoos all over their arms and probably over the upper part of their bodies but many a times hands and legs are no exception. 

Though Hinduism has a liberal attitude towards tattooing, Islam & Judaism are against permanent tattooing. Christianity does not seem to have a consistent view on it other than the fact that The Bible says "You must not slash your body for a dead person or incise a tattoo on yourself." (Leviticus 19.28) but it is a practice among Christians to get a tattoo of the cross with the year, when on a pilgrimage. Body art or body piercing were not popular in the west in the early days and by early days I mean centuries back & when someone had to show rebellion, they would do something which is forbidden. Bible always condemned rebellion and compared it to witchcraft which was punishable by death. Witches were stoned to death many a times. Since body art was not considered mainstream in the west, the tattoos were considered as open rebellion. Moreover they were thought to be deviant. Some armies and tribes used tattoos to mark their deserters and hence it was known as a mark of disgrace. Studies in the 1970s have linked tattoos to homosexuality, gross sexual perversion, personality disorders and psychotic conditions.

A Hindu bride with henna tattoo! I wish she hadn't worn those ugly looking red slippers though!

I believe probably Hinduism is the only religion not against tattooing especially the permanent ones. Even our weddings especially the north Indian weddings are incomplete without the mehendi ceremony, which indeed is a temporary tattooing. Though south Indians do not have a particular ceremony other than for Muslims, henna tattooing is considered almost a must before all weddings. Like I mentioned earlier, my maternal grandmother had a tattoo of Om on her arms. But unlike the black or the colourful tattoos, it was a green one. And tattooing in those days in our language was called Pachakuthal, which literally means stamping in green. Every elderly person who had a tattoo was in green colour ink. Reminds me of Ford saying, You could have any colour as long as it is Black. Guess whoever did the tattooing those days, probably the tattoo association said the same thing about green.

In India, a stone sculpture of  Sanga period has tattoo marks on cheeks and chins. Decorating the body with mehandi or mixture of fragrant musk, saffron and sandal paste was very popular in ancient India, but it was temporary. Body art was mainly used to identify with the religious sect.Shaivaites, the devotees of Lord Shiva, used the horizontal marks with vibhudi while the Vaishnavaites, the devotees of Lord Vishnu, used the 3 vertical lines for body art. Tattooing was permanent which one carried to graveyard with them. The tattoos have religious and superstitious significance as well. Women preferred tattooing for the welfare of husband, children etc. Some got to fulfill a vow or against dreaded diseases. But by and large it was to ensure non-widowhood. Cheeks, brows, neck, arms, shoulders, and wrists are the favored parts. Men get tattoos on arms, shoulders and wrists to ensure virility. Among tribals it is a practice to get their entire body tattooed which enabled their bodies to camouflage with forest surroundings: The color of tattoo in India is green or dark green. Pricking the earmarked place with needles and then filling the pricks in holes with indelible ink (mainly prepared from herbs and carbon) forms the main process. Many castes in India do the job for petty payment even on the road side. Songs are sung, jokes are told while the pricking agony is born by the person for an hour or more depending on the intricacy of design. The designs could be of snakes, birds (peacock, Garuda, etc.), chariot, sun, moon, trees, flowers, and grains. Tattooing is believed to protect persons against attack of wild beasts and snake bite--hence the use of respective designs.

Okay, enough of history and geography! I was trying to figure out why is tattooing considered rebellious. I need to go off the course again.. but lets hope I would make a point.

You been to any of those old Hindu temples and seen those architecture with all half naked or completely nude ladies and men hugging and doing whatever they want...( I mean.. in the sculpture.. Don't go overboard thinking, you missed the chance! ) So, India is the land of Kamasutra, the original sex book.. oops... that was supposed to be in all hushed tones... let not anyone hear it.. especially the mother-in-law of the sister's nephew's friend's uncle's daughter's brother's aunt whose nephew might be a future prospect of mine!! Whatever happened to celebrating one's sexuality. People think Kamasutra is probably about those sex positions which would be Yoga practitioners cringe.. nope.. it is also about how a man should treat a woman... his dasis... and a whole lot of other stuff. I will tell you what stuff when I have the patience to read it. So, in a country where sexuality was openly celebrated, why is everything about sex in hushed voices.. said behind closed doors in dark rooms? Where did the taboo come from? If you thought, I knew.. my dear friend, I have no clue. You should ask those pseudomoralists who roam on the street making sure even kindergarden boys and girls do not hold their hands.

Yeah! So, in a country where body art with ink was appreciated, they now find tattooing absurd and rebellious. What went wrong? When Britishers left, they probably took away a lot of tolerance and open mindedness from us. Is that what I really think? I have no clue what I really think. But it is nice to have someone to put the blame on, always!! So you Britishers... you are at fault for everything that is wrong in my country today... from crows doing their business on Gandhi's statues.. to the... potholes in the National Highways.. to guys growing their hair longer than the girls to girls getting tattooing done on places no mom would wanna hear of.

 

To an extend, tattoos does reflect one's sense of self and identity. Centuries before the age of  rock stars and the celebrities, tattoos were used by tribals to mark their territory and for identifying oneself to a particular sect. Some tribes like the apatani in Arunachal Pradesh used to tattoo on their women's face to make them ugly so that the neigbouring Nishi tribe would not abduct their pretty women. This continued till the Government banned it in the 1970s. Pretty weird, huh!

 

A apatani woman with facial tattoo & nose plugs. Seems the men did succeed in their mission ;)

Gone are the biblical days, and globalization and modernization may have made tattoos more acceptable and even cool but tattooing arises health concerns also. There is a high risk of Hepatitis B & C being contracted through tattooing parlours in unhygienic conditions. AIDS is considered to be contracted the same way. Underneath the seemingly harmless tattoo, there lies a risk of acquiring deadly blood borne diseases which could result in fatality. They can even cause unpleasant skin conditions and disorders. There were cases of flesh eating bacteria also. Some parlours and prisoners use iron oxide in the ink and that causes a high risk when undergoing an MRI. So unless you are willing to take all this risk, you should think twice before getting a tattoo.

Soccer ace David Beckam flaunting hiss tattoos

With the modernisation and urbanisation over the decades, the tattoo culture has shifted significantly. Be it from the movies or sports, celebrities love flaunting their tattoos. The traditional patterns may have been replaced by modern motifs, but the meaning behind the pain-inducing practice hasn't changed much. Tattoos are still considered as a sign of strength, courage, and virility, because of the pain associated with it. Now, more than ever, tattoo is a fashion statement and the ultimate body art. I would have to agree with who ever said," Your body is a temple, but how long can you live in the same house before you redecorate?"  

Image Source Courtesy : Pic01;
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Info Credits : Wikipedia, Terry Watkins, TOI, DB, KP

Idea courtesy : AGRA